7.4 Big Idea
• What was the path to ratification of the
Constitution?
Study Skills
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Study 5-10 minutes a night
Know the Vocabulary
Understand Organization
Create Flashcards
Drill and Practice facts
Know the test giver
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Read aloud/Reread/Write down
Write test questions
Teach someone else
Complete chapter review
Create a chart or graph
Vocabulary Terms
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Amendments
Antifederalists
George Mason
Federalists
Federalist Papers
Bill of Rights
Ch7 Section 4
Ratification of the Constitution
Objective 1
- Explain why some people were against
the new Constitution.
I. Federalist and Antifederalists
A. Opposition
1.
2.
People who opposed the new Constitution were called
Antifederalists.
Some Antifederalists thought the Constitution Convention had
overstepped its bounds: others thought the Constitution gave
central government too much power.
B. Supporters
1.
2.
Supporters of the new Constitution were called Federalists
Included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Important Questions
What objectives to the Constitution did Antifederalists
raise?
 Gave too much power to central government.
 Lacked a bill of rights.
 Convention was not suppose to write a new
Constitution.
Homework Quiz
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Ch7 Section 4
Ratification of the Constitution
Objective 2
- Examine the Federalist Papers’
arguments for the Constitution.
II. The Federalists Papers
A. Defending the Constitution
1.
2.
The Federalist Papers were a series of essays defending the
Constitution.
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay were the authors
B. Arguments
1.
2.
3.
New central government would not overpower the states.
Many groups of U.S. citizens, with their many points of view, would
prevent any single group from controlling the government.
Fixed many problems that existed under the Articles of
Confederation.
C. Widely read and printed, and influential in gaining support
for the Constitution
Important Questions
What arguments in favor of the Constitution did the
authors of the Federalist Papers present?
 Protect powers of the states
 No single group would be able to control

government
Was an improvement over the Articles of
Confederation
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Homework Quiz
Ch7 Section 4
Ratification of the Constitution
Objective 3
- Describe when and how the
Constitution was ratified.
III. The Ratification Fight
A. Debate over Approval
1.
2.
Needed only nine states to pass.
Every state except Rhode Island held a special convention to
discuss the Constitution.
B. Process of Ratification
1.
2.
3.
Delaware ratified the Constitution first, in December 1787
Went into effect after the ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified it in
June 1788.
Four remaining states all ratified the Constitution by May 1790.
Important Questions
How many states had to ratify the Constitution before
it went into effect?
 Nine
Homework Quiz
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Ch7 Section 4
Ratification of the Constitution
Objective 4
- Identify the reasons some people
wanted a bill of rights, and explain how it was
added to the Constitution.
IV. Demanding a Bill of Rights
A. Several states ratified the Constitution in the condition that
a bill of rights would be added.
B. Creating the Bill of Rights
1. James Madison made a bill of rights a national priority
2. Suggested Congress create a bill of rights and then add it to
the Constitution as amendments- official changes,
corrections, or additions.
3. Article V of the Constitution details the amendment process.
4. Congress proposed 12 amendments
5. States approved 10 amendments, which became the Bill of
Rights.
Important Questions
Why was a bill of rights added to the Constitution?
 Several states had made it a condition of ratifying
the Constitution.
How many amendments make up the Bill of Rights?
 The Bill of Rights consists of the Constitution’s first
10 amendments
Homework Quiz
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